In the East China Sea, the Yue family on Liuli Island went out to sea, and they were not lucky enough to encounter wind and waves, although the ship survived by luck under the lapping of the huge waves, several people died in the sea, and the ship also deviated from the course. It was expected to come back in ten days, but in the end it was delayed for more than 20 days, and all the fresh water carried on the ship had been exhausted, and if it was delayed for another day or two, I don't know how many people would be lost.

When the ship returned to the island harbor, there were many people standing on the shore, and the expressions on everyone's faces were full of eagerness and worry. After learning that their relatives had died, they cried one by one, while some elderly people looked a little numb. It's not that I'm not sad, but I've seen a lot, and my heart is numb. People who are adrift at sea and make a living by fishing may die in the sea every time they go out to sea, and their bones will be lost.

Those who came back alive had to go ashore and worship the god of the sea on the cliff next to the harbor to thank the god for their safe return.

Yue Donghai followed the group up the cliff, and after completing the ritual of worshipping the gods, the rest of the people left one after another, only he stayed, standing on the edge of the cliff, looking at the endless sea.

The sun is sinking, and the afterglow stains the water red, and the sky and water are the same color from a distance. Seabirds flutter their wings in the sky and make a crisp chirp. The wind swept against the rocks and shattered into white foam, which lasted only a short time before falling apart.

"What are you looking at?" the vicissitudes of life sounded in the ears, accompanied by the sound of the tides.

Yue Donghai came back to his senses, turned his head and saw an old man with a white beard standing next to him at some point, holding a cane.

The old man is the old patriarch of the Yue family, he is sixty-two years old this year, he used to be a good fisherman when he was young, and the clansmen have returned almost this time under his leadership. But the years are ruthless, and the once tall and sturdy figure has become a little emaciated and rickety under the passage of time, and has become the appearance of the dying wood now.

Among the people who went to sea this time was his sixteen-year-old grandson, who was a very clever child, with bright dark eyes and a bright smile, and was very athletic and water-oriented. Before leaving, he also swore to the old patriarch that he would catch a shark and come back, and the old patriarch smiled and said yes, and then sent the fleet away with the clansmen on the shore.

The boy never returned, and in the storm he was swept away by the waves and buried in the vast sea, with no bones left.

The old patriarch had two sons and two grandchildren, and in his early years the two sons were buried in the sea, and he and his wife raised the two grandsons with great difficulty, and now they are experiencing the pain of the white-haired people sending the black-haired people again.

When the ship came back just now, Yue Donghai clearly saw that the light of hope in the old man's cloudy eyes was extinguished in an instant, and only a dead silence remained.

"Why don't we live on the shore?" said Yue Donghai as he looked at the old man.

The shore here does not refer to the shore of Liuli Island, but the shore of the mainland. There are fields, land, mountains and waters, and as long as you work hard enough, you can live. Although there are disasters that fall from the sky, they are not as frequent and unpredictable as the sea, so you don't have to live in worry every day, fearing that you will die the next moment.

When the old patriarch heard this, he showed a vicissitudes of life smile and sighed, "Child, if there was a choice, our ancestors would not have stayed on this deserted island, staring at the wind and waves and risking the danger to go out to sea to fish. We also want to go to the shore, but we can't go, kid, what do we rely on to eat when we leave the sea? We can't afford to buy a few acres of land on the shore if we save money for a lifetime. ”

In these years, fish are not valuable, they can be seen everywhere in rivers and lakes, only fish in the depths of the sea can buy a few dollars, but the price is pressed by the people on the shore again and again. However, the firewood, rice, oil and salt sold to the Yue family are much more expensive than usual, and as for the fields and houses, they are even more expensive. And the people on the shore would rather be deserted, and most of them would not sell to the Yue family.

"After so many years, only the Yue San family has left this island to live. Thanks to them, we're doing better than we used to. After the old patriarch finished speaking, he sighed again.

Yue Donghai was stunned when he heard this. In his previous life, he never cared about these things before he was shipwrecked, and every time he only thought that he could gain more and save more money when he went to sea. After becoming Cui Yijing, he no longer needs to worry about his livelihood, and he doesn't know that the life of the Yue family has been so difficult.

"They...... Why do you hate us?" asked Yue Donghai.

They, pointing to the people on the shore.

The old patriarch shook his head, "No one likes a rootless person. We are so far from the shore, adrift in the boundless sea, that one day we may be swept away by the waves and drowned by the sea. ”

When Yue Donghai heard this, he didn't know what to say for a while.

An old man and a young man stand on the edge of the cliff, and the sea breeze blows in their faces, carrying the unique breath of the sea.

The sky is getting darker and the clouds are rolling, signaling an approaching storm.

"It's time to go back. The old patriarch said to him.

Yue Donghai nodded, and was about to respond, when he suddenly heard a child's shout from behind, "Brother Donghai, someone is looking for you, you are a good-looking sister, you go back quickly!"

Yue Donghai was stunned when he heard this. The people living on this island are all Yue family, and they are almost familiar with each other before, and anyone who looks for them can say their names, and they won't say anything about whether they look good or not, unless they are outsiders.

And the only outsider he knows in this life is only that......

Could it be her? He was incredulous. It has been almost two months since Jianghe County, and although she said that she would come to visit, he was not very sure. The only way to come to Liuli Island is by boat, but the people on the shore are basically reluctant to come. In the past, he only thought that he was worried that something would happen, but now that he listened to the words of the old patriarch, he felt that his heart was even heavier.

"Is it someone you met before?" The old patriarch on the side obviously guessed the situation, although he was asking Yue Donghai a question, his tone was a little joking, "Time flies so fast, in a blink of an eye, Donghai is at an age where you should start a family......

Yue Donghai opened his mouth to say something, "She ......"

But I saw the old patriarch on crutches and turned away. The cliff was uneven, overgrown with weeds, and the old man's rickety figure looked a little unstable, but he never fell.

Although Yue Donghai was anxious in his heart, he still stepped forward to help the old patriarch, walked down the cliff step by step, and walked back to the place where he lived.

——

Shen Shu and Cui Yijing were sitting in a family's house, and the hostess took two rough porcelain bowls and poured them two bowls of tea, with a pale yellow liquid and two tea leaves floating in the water.

"This is the only one in the house...... "The hostess looked at her white and delicate hands holding the dark-colored porcelain bowl, and the two sides were contrasting with each other, and somehow, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Shen Shu shook her head, "Originally, I bothered Brother Jing, and I am already very grateful for you to entertain us." After she said that, she turned her head to Cui Yijing on the side and said, "Brother Jing, say thank you to Sister-in-law Lilan." ”

Shen Shu taught him to smile when he said thank you, so he raised a smile, "Thank you." ”

The heroine only felt more embarrassed, but she was happy in her heart, "Wherever you are, it's all your own, it's not worth a few dollars, just don't dislike it." ”

The hostess also had two children at home, a son and a daughter, the boy looked five or six years old, and the girl was one or two years younger. Probably basking in the sun all year round, the two little ones are a little dark, but their eyes are very clean and bright. The little girl leaned on the side of the door, poking her head out and looking in, looking curious.

Shen Shu guessed that it might be because he hadn't seen outsiders.

She took Cui Yijing to Huaixing Mansion, and it was easy to ask about the situation on Liuli Island, but when she talked about it, she always felt that the other party's tone was a little strange, and then she came to the harbor and wanted to find a boat to come over, but no boatman was willing, she asked again and again, and then learned the reason. Originally, I wanted to try to add more money to see if I could find a boat, but I happened to meet someone who came to buy things on the island, and after knowing that she was looking for Yue Donghai, he took her and Cui Yijing by the way.

Later, she was ready to pay, but the other party didn't accept it anyway, saying that it was just a stop-by. Not only confiscated the money, but also took them to the vicinity of Yue Donghai's house, because Yue Donghai was not there, the neighbors next to him kindly invited them to sit down and rest in the house, and asked their children to call Yue Donghai back.

Shen Shu and Cui Yijing sat at the neighbor's house for a while, and after drinking a bowl of tea, they heard the boy's voice coming from afar, "Brother Donghai is back!"

Shen Shu heard the sound, got up and walked outside the house, and saw Yue Donghai walking in the distance. He wasn't alone, and there was an elderly man next to him.

"Miss Shen, you're here. After approaching, Yue Donghai greeted her, and the joy that could not be hidden between his eyebrows and eyes.

Shen Shu also smiled back, "I said before that I would come to visit when I settled down, but I didn't expect it to drag on for so long." As she spoke, she looked at the old man on the side, "Is this the elder of the family?" her tone was a little uncertain.

Yue Donghai shook his head, "This is the patriarch of our Yue family." ”

Shen Shu was a little embarrassed when she heard this, and said hello to the old man.

After a brief greeting, Yue Donghai invited Shen Shu into the house. His house is very simple, it is not an exaggeration to say that the four walls of the house are not exaggerated, but fortunately, there are still tables and stools, but no one has taken care of them for a long time.

He was a little embarrassed for a moment, and hurriedly wiped his sleeve.

Shen Shu didn't care, and after the old man sat down first, he also pulled Cui Yijing to sit down together.